


Frequency

by IrisClou



Series: Sensei Squared [Kaka/Iru/Tsu] [12]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Anbu Hatake Kakashi, IRUKA IS ADORABLE AND IM STILL CRYING OVER IT, Kid Fic, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-12 00:01:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19936726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrisClou/pseuds/IrisClou
Summary: 10 year old Iruka hasn't seen his friend Kakashi in months, and has grown lonely without him.So when a mysterious ANBU shinobi shows up on his roof one night, he's desperate for the friendship he once had - even if it's forbidden.





	Frequency

**Author's Note:**

> if you havent noticed by now i project the FUCK onto iruka, so the whole radio shit is something i used to do with my dad when i was young. 
> 
> honestly, i really recommend trying out some AM radio apps if you dont have an actual radio on you. theyre a lot of fun -- and remember, if using analog, listen on a clear night! 
> 
> kakashit is like... . 13-14 in this fic?

**[[LOVE SOMEONE | POGO]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oElutHj9WaA) **

The stars surrounded the crescent moon like disciples to a temple, the blackest sky the open road they traveled across. Early April breezes spread wispy clouds over the infinite canvas; transparent brushstrokes. 

This was the first night the boy chose to take his father's radio up to the rooftop, alone. 

This was the first night the boy saw _him._

This was the night Iruka Umino fell in love. 

He had finally finished his homework, studying later into the night than he had wanted. So, when he had tossed the last textbook back into his backpack, the genin-hopeful rushed to grab his father's radio on the dresser. 

Iruka clicked open the latches on his upstairs bedroom window, pushing it up with a huff. He poked his head out, hazel eyes glittering at the firefly like lights of Konoha that rolled and tumbled through the myriad of foliage it was named for. He craned his head around to undo the little rope ladder he'd made himself the night prior, letting it fall down in a little wiggly dance before shakily stepping up on the sill. The boy managed to grab the rope in his small hands, testing the strength before hesitantly putting a foot into the first step. 

The climb was wobbly, but he kept at it doggedly, until he reached the roof. 

Iruka heaved a big sigh of relief, proud of himself, but not before he crawled to the peak, bare feet digging pleasantly into the rough shingles. 

He flopped back, eyes closed, heart pounding. His parents' house certainly was no castle turret, but it was higher than he'd ever been before. 

The boy felt as though he was on a lone ship in a sea of trees and stars. Even if it didn't _look_ like it was moving, it was because the world was too big, and he was too small. But the size of the roof comforted him. It felt protective, even though at the same time, he felt exposed in the night air. 

Iruka spent a good, long time staring up into the yonder, contemplating things only a ten year old could wonder. He picked out constellations, renaming them as he pleased, arms outstretched, making new ones between the spaces of his splayed fingers. 

As much as he wanted to deny it, he had gotten chilly, out in the open like this. One shaky ladder trip later, he had gathered everything he needed to camp out for a few hours. 

A blanket, Mr. Flippers, a red bean bun, a flashlight, a kunai, and a pretty little notebook his mother had ordered for him through a subscription magazine. It had a small, silver embossed dolphin on the left most corner and a seagull on the top right, with sakura blossoms trailing all along the edges. He loved it. It held all his thoughts, dreams, and stories. 

Iruka, now prepared for everything and anything, pulled his father's radio to his lap, fiddling with the dials. Instead of the usual music and news station Dad listened to, he switched the frequency to AM. 

Nighttime was the time everything but humans communicated the most -- that's what Mom said. 

_Including the stars._ Iruka thought.

All the animals of the forest came out at night to have little meetings, and so did the heavenly bodies above him.

It crackled for a long, long time. 

But he was determined. 

Dad was smart. Knew how to get the stars to talk through the radio. To hear things millions of miles away. 

Snippets of foreign languages reached his itching ears, and his heart throbbed that much harder. They were interspersed with music.

It was magic, pure and simple. He was sure of it. 

Eventually, the static faded into steady words, threaded with music every couple minutes. 

Iruka closed his eyes, the speaker right next to his ear. He could guess when "commercials" came on, and when the actual "program" returned. He pretended he knew what the mysterious voices were talking about, making up translations in his head. 

It was two men, and one woman. Their intonations made it seem like they were discussing something important, but casual. Maybe something popular, like musicians or things you'd find in tabloids. 

"Well, the weather here is awfully sunny nowadays." The first man must have been saying.

"Yes, I agree." Said the second, "But it looks like there are bad storms headed our way." 

"If you have any plans to go to the special concert this weekend, you'd better be prepared for rain." Added the woman. "Let's play something by the band." 

**[[plastic love | mariya takeuchi]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gj47G2e1Jc) **

Iruka was most interested in the music. As much as he loved hearing the foreign language, it was tiring, and lacked direction to him. After the song had passed, he waited for a small eternity for the talk show to end.

Was it worth it to try fiddling with the dials again? What if he lost the signal, now that it was relatively clear? 

The boy sat up from where he lay, peering down at the tiny red ticker inside the AM frequency strip.

  


Quickly, Iruka got out his notebook, flipping to an empty page, scrawling down notes in the dim light.

_AM 1360. New station. Foreign. Two men and one woman. Talk show, public announcements. Want more music. A little boring. Will try again tomorrow night._

As soon as he closed the book, the station began to play music again, a welcome relief to the confusing, hasty unknown speech of the strangers. He could appreciate this much more. 

He leaned back, feeling successful. His first night, he'd found a good station to check in on. He'd be content to return to this one, like an old friend. Unpredictable in nature, but always in the same place. 

Iruka hummed along to the song, just now mumbling the chorus, imitating the syllables best he could in the foreign tongue. 

So caught up in having solved a mystery that had no answer, the boy was not aware that someone else had been listening in for a while.

_Ad. It_ is _a music station. Maybe it's daytime where they are, and it's just the morning report._

He scribbled the addendum in the notebook. The music was almost lullaby-like, reminding him of what his mother liked to listen to. 

_Pop-ballad music._

He felt a bit woozy after the fourth song in a row. It was way past his bedtime. The music, though soothing, had given him a headache. His brain simply couldn't handle trying to process the strange language, with nothing to reference. 

Iruka yawned loudly, playing absently-mindedly with Mr. Flippers. 

He mused on having a treehouse. A little ship in the ocean of trees. He'd sail through the dreams of Konoha's inhabitants. Maybe he'd ask Dad to build him one this summer. 

Just as the boy rubbed at his eyes, and reached into his knapsack for the red bean bun, he spied a shadow on the edge of the roof. 

**[[井上和彦 | Kazuhiko Inoue]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5CjLL5I91o) **

Squinting, he then shook his head, blinking. Maybe it was just a passing cloud. But it never moved. 

Fear suddenly struck him like a thunderclap in his heart, the little muscle throbbing wildly in his chest as adrenaline shot through his veins, heightening his senses. 

Iruka remained deathly still, a rabbit catching sight of a wolf in the warren. The music from the radio beside him bled into haphazard static, a flurry of nonsensical voices and instruments. 

He dared to swallow. 

Very carefully, and as quietly as possible, the boy found the kunai in his knapsack, fingers closing around the cold black metal. 

He withdrew it slowly. 

The shadow was too human to ignore. 

"Wh-who's there?" He breathed, hoping he was just imagining it, and it was nothing. If he had to, he'd just yell for his father -- the jonin would come to his rescue in a heartbeat. 

Iruka regretting speaking up. He felt bile rise in the back of his throat as his tan skin broke out in a cold sweat at the sight of a pale clay mask coming into view, turning eerily slow towards him. 

A smiling cat face stared into his soul, eyeholes framed in blood red ink. 

The fact..it hadn't been nothing -- that his fears were confirmed...he felt a whimper die before it left his lips. He wanted to run, get Dad, hide…he'd never been so terrified, down to the bone, in his life.

"Don't be afraid." The mask muffled the whisper, so the boy had to strain to hear. "I won't hurt you."

Iruka instinctively felt his guard lower, but remained stock still. 

An uneasy silence passed until the figure emerged, bathed in soft moonlight. 

It was a young man, probably early to mid teens. 

"Who are you?" Iruka's body began to relax as the adrenaline began to drop, an uncomfortable tiredness seeping into his veins. 

♡ 

**[[Ek Ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga | Aksh Baghla]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6jZaW9KGSY) **

The radio answered out of turn, dial having been nudged during the search for the kunai, a new voice coming to life. Soft, soothing. 

The masked boy approached one silent step at a time. He was well muscled, but wiry. Iruka could tell it would still be a few years before he filled out completely. His shoulders were still quite rounded, chest slender. 

He wore a strange slate gray outfit, his pale arms exposed and the left sporting an odd red tattoo in the shape of a flame. 

Iruka felt his throat tighten. 

He had heard rumors, whispers after midnight behind closed doors from his parents of a select group of elite shinobi called the ANBU. He didn't know much -- the subject itself seemed to be forbidden -- but from what he could tell, they were highly skilled, organized vigilantes. 

The cat faced boy was now about three meters away. Snow white hair tufted out from behind the mask, making Iruka squint. It seemed...familiar. 

"I am none of your concern." He murmured. It wasn't said rudely. In fact, it was quite reassuring, as if he were a stranger rescuing another, expecting no recognition for his bravery.

The voice, though not deep, was smooth and sweet - and Iruka was instantly starstruck. 

The young boy stared wide eyed at the newcomer, at a loss for words. It wasn't until a quiet chuckle surfaced from the older boy that he thought to introduce himself.

If this _was_ the ANBU, then he knew he could trust them to protect him. Right? 

♡

**[[Ajab si | OM shanti OM]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n4vEzDD7o8) **

"Well, then, I'll have to make up a name for you." Iruka pouted, before puffing up proudly, taking his father's advice of never showing fear. "I'm Iruka Umino, son of the great Ikkaku." It felt a... _little_ silly to put it like that, but he really _did_ see his dad as the strongest jonin in the village. 

The stranger held back a little snort. 

He was relieved to see that Iruka hadn't changed a bit. 

"And your name is…" The boy chewed his bottom lip in thought. 

"Neko?" The shinobi offered, but was instantly shot down. 

"No!" Iruka retorted hastily. "That's boring." 

Another muffled snort. 

"How about Azarashi?" He pondered aloud. "Mom wanted to name me that, because she said I looked like a fat little seal when I was born."

He suddenly stiffened, growing defensive. "Ianaaa, not like I'm like that anymore!" He turned his head dismissively, "I just think you look like the baby white ones, the ones wayyy up north." 

"You sure you don't want "Neko?" The ANBU wanted nothing more than to sit and talk with the boy, but he also knew the longer he lingered, the more danger the both of them would be in. It was imperative he always be a difficult target, not an easy one. 

"No." Iruka thumped his hand on his thigh stubbornly, a habit he picked up from his dad. "Azarashi sounds cooler. And you kinda look like someone who was like an older brother to me -- so I'm giving you the name I _almost_ got." 

The white haired jonin froze. Did he... _recognize_ him? He'd better leave sooner than later. 

"Fine." He whispered. "But, go to bed. It's dangerous to be out alone at night." He scolded gently. 

It was in that moment, Iruka found himself understanding the words of his mother. 

_"No life can be lived alone."_

"Why don't you come with me?" The boy blurted out innocently, suddenly wanting to share his starry voiced radio and some mochi under a warm blanket with this stranger. 

A brief pause, "It's, uh...a little cold, and you'll get chills if you stay out too long." Iruka gave him a bashful look, Mr. Flippers now being worried between his soft hands. He tried to hide a nervous look behind the beloved stuffed animal. 

Kakashi -- no, he'd adapt to Azarashi for him, anything for him -- stared blankly at the boy. How was he still so trusting and generous? Or was...he really just _that_ lonely? That he'd invite a total stranger -- 

"Mom said that…" Iruka peeked out from behind the well loved fur of his dolphin plush, "People shouldn't live life alone, and if you're one of those special ninja, you must be really lonely." 

Azarashi couldn't tear his gaze away from the boy. 

"Don't be such a workaholic, like one of my friends used to be." Iruka scolded, only one childhood friend in mind. "Come inside and play with the cat or watch a movie with me. I have the whole Princess Gale series on tape!" He puffed up proudly. "Man, she's so cool...I wish I could be as strong as her…" The boy mumbled more or less to himself. 

The jonin felt a twinge in his chest. Something he hadn't felt in months. 

The tiniest of voices in the back of his head told him to stay. To indulge in this childish ritual. 

"You don't have to take off your mask!" Iruka suddenly squawked, face bright red, having imagined himself as Princess Gale herself, riding her beautiful white horse across the land to her destiny. "I...I can keep a secret, promise." He gave the shinobi an embarrassed look, before smooshing his flushed face into the worn fur of Mr. Flippees. 

Azarashi relaxed, a sad smile hidden behind a cold clay mask. 

Silence. 

He slowly shook his head, rising to his feet. 

"...I can't. I have to be Konoha's eyes at night. So you can sleep safely." 

Iruka let out the smallest of whines. 

"Dumb." He grumbled, before pawing through his knapsack. "Then, at least take this." His head was turned stubbornly to the side, hand outstretched with his favorite homemade red bean bun. "Don't tell me you can't eat either." 

Azarashi puffed a laugh, but didn't answer. He accepted the gift, tucking it into his hip pouch.

"Mom made them this afternoon, so…" Iruka found himself trailing off, just wanting for Azarashi to stay. 

"Thank you." He nodded his head once, voice hushed. 

It was ugly, sticky, and downright tangible, the honeyed strings that invisibly clung to the boys, keeping them from just running off without a second thought. 

It was stiff bones and fake goodbyes.

Hazel eyes beseeched gray. 

Silence. 

"...Will you be back?" 

"Maybe."

Silence.

Then, in the tiniest voice:

"Please come back." 

♡ 

[ **[Pee Yoon | Mahit Chauhun]** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzznE1Jy7JA)

The radio simply filled in all the words, albeit foreign, for the boys. All the star studded thoughts and wispy cloudlike desires, fleeting and so far away. 

All it took was one step back, and Azarashi tipped the balances, tearing himself away from the one thing he wanted more than any other. 

His head ached, and he was glad he just caught the numbers on the radio. If he couldn't be with Iruka like the boy wanted, he could at least listen to the same sky as he did. 

\--

After what must have easily been an eternity, Iruka picked himself up, Mr. Flippers tucked under one arm, radio clutched in his sunkissed hands. 

What words he could make out, he made sure to write down once he'd returned inside, along with the station number. 

Two frequencies in one night, but the one song his heart wanted more than any other was on a frequency his radio could not reach. 

Stuffed under his covers, Mr. Flippers to his chest, he sniffled away tired tears. 

First Kakashi seemed to be nowhere to be found, and now this stranger…

_If you can do something, stop worrying._

_If you can't do anything, then don't worry._

It was a little phrase his father had taught him, for when he grew anxious and fretful.

Swallowing his misery at two am, he got up and wrote a letter, sleepily climbing up the wobbly ladder one final time to tie it to the seagull wind vane on the roof. 

Azarashi would see it. If they couldn't talk in person or play in the daytime, he could at least write. 

Iruka stumbled back into bed, radio playing softly on the windowsill, comforter bunched over him, Mr. Flippers tucked safely into his arms. 

He fell asleep wondering if seals and dolphins ever became friends in the wild. 

The foreign music lulled him with a tender sense of hope.

_Of course they could._

  


**Author's Note:**

> you wanna fight me over how much i love bollywood music? alright. lets go. put em up  
> sorry the end is shit and rushed but like. *jim face from the office* idc
> 
> also bonus points. if you know who kazuhiko inoue is.


End file.
